• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Alternative Dish
  • Recipes
  • Fall Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Fall Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Fall Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Sauces & Dressings

    Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

    By Maggie · Published Jul 5, 2020 · Updated Jan 28, 2021

    • Share

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Oil free balsamic vinaigrette is creamy, flavorful and easy to make. Use this vinaigrette on your favorite salad, drizzled over veggies or as a delicious marinade for porotobello mushrooms. You'll quickly fall in love with this oil free dressing.

    Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

    Making a vinaigrette that is oil free and actually tastes good has taken some practice. When I first learned about oil free cooking I was completely flummoxed. As a chef this was a completely new concept to me. How can you cook without oil? Is that even possible?! 

    As chefs we learn to start most dishes with some sort of oil. Adding it to a pan for sauteing, drizzling it over veggies for roasting, and adding it as the base to our dressings is just what we do. Right?! Not anymore.

    So, when I started cooking without oil, some things like sauteing came pretty easy to me. Other things, like tweaking my dressings and sauces took a little work. I am happy to say I have mastered oil free dressings and I am excited to share my favorite with you here.

    How to make a No Oil Vinaigrette

    A traditional vinaigrette in its purest form is three parts oil to one part vinegar. You can build on the flavors from there adding emulsifiers, herbs, spices, salt, and other flavors. So, what happens when you take out the 3 parts oil? The dressing turns out thin, watery and tastes potently of vinegar. This is okay in some instances, but I also like to have a sturdier dressing at times.

    So, how do you solve this problem? Nuts and seeds are a great stand-in for oil in salad dressings. Nuts and seeds are a whole food plant based fat that blends into a creamy and tasty no-oil salad dressing.

    Start by soaking nuts or seeds and dates for a couple of hours if you don't have a high powered blender like a Vitamix. Next, drain the water from the nuts and dates and add them along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender container. Blend on high until thick and creamy, scraping down the sides a few times. Add more water as necessary to reach the desired consistency of your oil free dressing.

    Store no-oil dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The vinaigrette will thicken slightly as it sits. Stir in a little water to thin it out and enjoy!

    Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

    Substitutions for Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

    • Use any nuts or seeds in place of the sunflower seeds in this recipe.
    • Raisins can be used in place of the dates.
    • Use regular mustard in place of the dijon.
    • Replace some or all of the balsamic with another flavor of vinegar. There are an array of vinegars out there that can amp up the flavors of your food. Dressings are a fun place to experiment.

    Oil free salad dressing

    How do I use No-Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette?

    This versatile dressing can be used in many dishes. Here's a few ideas:

    • Use as a salad dressing
    • Marinate veggies before roasting or grilling
    • Marinate tofu before roasting or grilling
    • Drizzled over baked sweet potato fries
    • Drizzle over grain bowls with roasted veggies

    📖 Recipe

    Oil free balsamic dressing

    Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

    Oil free balsamic vinaigrette is creamy and flavorful.  Use this vinaigrette on your favorite salad, drizzled over veggies or as a marinade.  You’ll quickly fall in love with this oil free dressing.
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad, Sauce
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings (about 1 tablespoon)
    Calories: 37kcal

    Equipment

    • Blender

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
    • 2 large dates such as medjool or deglet noor
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • If you don't have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, soak the sunflower seeds and dates in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
    • Add all ingredients to a blender container and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides a couple times to remove any debris on the sides of the blender. Add more water as necessary to reach desired consistency of dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
    • Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Dressing will thicken as it sits in the fridge. Stir in a little water to thin it out. Use as desired.

    Notes

    Use this oil free dressing drizzled over salads, roasted veggies, baked sweet potato fries and more!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Sauces & Dressings

    • Maple Dijon vinaigrette on a spoon dripping into a jar with more of the dressing.
      Maple Dijon Vinaigrette (Easy Vegan Recipe)
    • Vegan brown gravy being poured over mashed potatoes on top of a red and white plaid napkin.
      Gluten Free Vegan Gravy (Quick & Easy Recipe)
    • Bowl of vegan avocado ranch dressing with flecks of dairy-free ranch seasoning in creamy green sauce. Background is a white cloth.
      Vegan Avocado Ranch Dressing (Easy Oil-Free Recipe)
    • Spoonful of vegan ranch dressing dripping into a glass mason jar full of vegan ranch dressing. Bowl of dairy-free ranch seasoning is in the background on top of a white cloth.
      Best Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe
    • Share

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    Headshot of Sarah Pilley.

    Hi! I’m Sarah, and I’m so excited you stopped by! I'm thrilled to share my passion for tasty vegan food with you on the Alternative Dish. I focus on creating recipes that everyone can enjoy with allergy-friendly tips! 

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • Vegan cranberry apple crisp in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream. The background shows a red and green apple and the crisp in a baking dish on top of a red and white gingham napkin.
      Best Vegan Cranberry Apple Crisp (Gluten Free Recipe)
    • 9 gluten-free vegan apple cider donuts on a wire rack on top of a wood background.
      Baked Apple Cider Donuts (Vegan and Gluten Free)
    • Slice of vegan sweet potato pie with dollop of whipped cream on top. Background shows the rest of the pie in a dish, a white plate, and a fall colored gingham napkin.
      Vegan Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan brown gravy being poured over mashed potatoes on top of a red and white plaid napkin.
      Gluten Free Vegan Gravy (Quick & Easy Recipe)

    Popular Recipes

    • Cauliflower ceviche in a bowl.
      Cauliflower Ceviche
    • Spoonful of golden colored popped quinoa with bowl of toasted quinoa in background, sitting on top of red, orange, and blue cloth napkin.
      How to Make Popped Quinoa (Easy, Crunchy Recipe)
    • Vegan flourless chickpea brownies on a plate.
      Flourless Chickpea Brownies: Vegan & Gluten Free
    • Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut and Ginger
    • Fork holding noodles coated with beet pasta sauce.
      Pasta with Creamy Beet Sauce (Vegan, GF)
    • Slice of vegan avocado key lime pie on a plate.
      Avocado Key Lime Pie (Vegan, Gluten Free)

    New & Trending

    • Vegan fall harvest salad in a bowl on top of a white cloth with apple chips and pepitas scattered around.
      Vegan Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
    • Homemade vegan flour tortillas stacked and wrapped in a white cloth napkin.
      Best Homemade Vegan Flour Tortillas Recipe
    • Maple dijon roasted carrots and apples with red onion and garlic on a serving spoon with the roasting pan in the background.
      Maple Dijon Roasted Carrots and Apples
    • Dairy free apple crisp in a bowl with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on top with cinnamon sprinkled over. The background shows the dish of vegan apple crisp, a red apple, green apple, and two sticks of cinnamon.
      Dairy-Free Apple Crisp (Vegan Gluten-Free Recipe)
    • Crostino with tofu ricotta, jammy tomato confit, basil chiffonade, and balsamic glaze. More vegan crostini appetizers are in the background.
      Best Vegan Crostini Appetizer with Tofu Ricotta
    • Crostini held by a hand with a baking sheet with more crostini in the background.
      How to Make Crostini from a Baguette (Easy Recipe)

    Footer

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    ↑ back to top

    Simple Sauce Guice &
    Join Our Mailing List!

    Unsubscribe at any time. Thanks for joining the Alternative Dish family.

    Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Alternative Dish